Vertebral fracture is associated with myocardial infarction in incident hemodialysis patients: a Korean nationwide population-based study

Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-mineral and bone disorder suggests that fragile bone and vascular disorder might be connected closely in CKD patients. In this study, fracture event was significantly associated with myocardial infarction (MI) in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (HD), especially for vertebral fractures.

INTRODUCTION

CKD-mineral and bone disorder is characterized by biochemical abnormalities, bone disorders, and vascular calcification. We aimed to verify the association between fracture and MI in CKD patients.

METHODS

Records for incident CKD stage 3 to 5 patients and patients who initiated HD between July 2014 and June 2018 were retrieved from the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service Database. Fractures were defined using diagnostic codes and were classified into vertebral, femoral, and other site fractures. MI was defined using a combination of MI diagnostic codes and related procedure codes. Multiple logistic regressions and 1:1 propensity score matching analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

A total of 38,935 patients (HD, 11,379; pre-dialysis CKD, 27,556) were included in this study. A total of 5,057 (13.0%) patients experienced fracture, and 1,431 (3.7%) patients had MI. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that fracture was significantly associated with MI in the HD group (odds ratio (OR) 1.34, P = 0.024), but not in the pre-dialysis CKD group (OR 1.04, P = 0.701). After propensity score matching for age, gender, and diabetes mellitus between patients with and without fracture, fracture still significantly correlated with MI in HD patients (OR 1.47, P = 0.034) but not in patients with pre-dialysis CKD (OR 1.04, P = 0.751). Subgroup analysis by fracture site found that vertebral fracture was associated with MI in HD patients (OR 2.11, P = 0.024), but femoral or other site fractures were not.

CONCLUSION

In HD patients, fracture was significantly associated with MI, especially for vertebral fractures patients.

The change of bone mineral density and bone metabolism after gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

Bone mineral density (BMD) is significantly decreased after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer. Calcium malabsorption, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and dominant bone resorption appear to contribute to bone loss in these patients. Patients should undergo early surveillance and nutritional or pharmacologic intensive interventions for bone health.

PURPOSE

Survivorship care, including bone health, has become an important issue in gastric cancer. We performed a meta-analysis of the available observational studies to determine whether and how osteoporosis risk is increased after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer.

METHODS

A total of 1204 patients (802 men) from 19 cohort studies were included. We evaluated the prevalence of osteoporosis in postgastrectomy patients, comparing the incidence according to the type of gastrectomy and sex. Additionally, we evaluated changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism-related markers pre- to postoperatively and between patients who underwent gastrectomy and matched controls. Proportion meta-analysis was performed and pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated.

RESULTS

The pooled incidence estimate was 36% [95% confidence interval (CI), 32-40]. The incidence of osteoporosis was significantly higher in women than in men (OR = 1.90, p < 0.001) but was similar between partial and total gastrectomy groups (OR = 0.983, p = 0.939). BMD was significantly decreased, and calcium, phosphorous, and parathyroid hormone levels were significantly increased in patients after gastrectomy compared to those before gastrectomy. BMD and calcium and 25OH-vitamin D levels were significantly decreased, and parathyroid hormone and 1,25OH-vitamin D levels were significantly increased in the gastrectomy group compared to that in the control group.

CONCLUSION

We found that BMD is significantly decreased after gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer. Vitamin D deficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism are suggested to be common mechanism underlying BMD impairment. After resection, patients should undergo long-term nutritional and bone health surveillance, in addition to their oncological follow-up.

Public Sense of Water Fluoridation as Reflected on Twitter 2009-2017

Though controversial, water fluoridation has been hailed as one of the top-ten public-health achievements of the 20th century in the United States of America. In this article, we aim to investigate the public sense of water fluoridation as reflected on Twitter, using data from 2009 to 2017. To this end, tweets related to water fluoridation were collected using queries such as "fluoridated water or fluoride water," "water fluoridation or fluoridation of water," and hashtags related to water fluoridation. The collected tweets (n = 218,748) were examined through informetric, linguistic (word sentiment, word frequency, and word network analyses), and issue tweet analyses. We found that Twitter users who tweeted about water fluoridation in English between 2009 and 2017 constituted about <0.01% of all users including non-English users. In their tweets, words such as "poison" and "waste" were the strong negative sentiment words most often used. Of the top 30 words most frequently used, words related to information sources on water fluoridation and the safety of water fluoridation appeared more often than words related to its efficacy. Additionally, the words related to information sources on water fluoridation and the safety of water fluoridation were found to be core terms in the sentences of tweet mentions. Our linguistic analyses indicate that Twitter users responded sensitively to words that emphasize negative aspects of fluoridation. This is clearly shown in our issue tweet analysis, where tweet mentions expressing negative opinions about water fluoridation accounted for at least 59.2% of all mentions. By contrast, <15% of tweet mentions were found to be positive. These findings suggest that professionals need to reevaluate the current state of online information about water fluoridation, and improve it in a way so that the public can easily access reliable information sources.

33 Improved Dog Cloning Efficiency Using Post-Activation with Ro-3306, a Cdk1 Inhibitor

Inactivation of maturation promoting factor requires proteolytic destruction of cyclin B that results in the loss of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) activity and exit from metaphase. The aim of this study was to investigate that treatment of Ro-3306, a Cdk1 inhibitor, during post-activation could increase the development of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos in dogs. Mixed breed female dogs aged at 1 to 5 years and weighing 20 to 35 kg were used in this study (approval number: SNU-160602-14-1). Canine cumulus–oocyte complexes were collected surgically by flushing oviducts with HEPES-buffered TCM-199 medium ~72 h after ovulation, which was determined by serum progesterone concentration. After removal of cumulus cells from oocytes by repeated pipetting in hyaluronidase, matured oocytes were selected for the following experiment. In experiment I, oocytes were activated with (1) 10 μM calcium ionophore and then post-activated with 1.9 mM DMAP (control); (2) DMAP along with 10 μM Ro-3306 (10 μM group); or (3) DMAP along with 50 μM Ro-3306 (50 μM group). Parthenotes were cultured in the synthetic oviducal fluid (SOF) medium after post-activation, and in vitro development was evaluated at 48 h (2-4 cell) and 72 h (6-8 cell). In experiment II, SCNT embryos were produced after oocyte enucleation, donor cell injection, fusion, and activation. Only fused cytoplasts were activated with (1) 1.9 mM DMAP (control) or (2) DMAP along with 50 μM Ro-3306 (50 μM group) and transferred to the oviducts of recipients. The day of embryo transfer was regarded as Day 0. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasonography after Day 28 and cloned puppies were delivered Day 58 to 60. Embryo developmental rates in experiment I and II were analysed by one-way ANOVA and t-test, respectively, and pregnancy and delivery rate were analysed by chi-squared test using Graph Prism software (GraphPad, San Diego, CA, USA). The significance level was P < 0.05. Results in experiment I showed that cleavage rate of parthenogenetic embryos in the 50 μM group (89.3 ± 6.8%) was significantly higher than that of 10 μM group or control (50.8 ± 9.9% and 55.4 ± 18.8%, respectively). However, embryonic development to 4 cells and 6-8 cells was not different between treatments. In experiment II, pregnancy rates of recipients receiving embryos in 50 μM group (3/5, 60.0%) were significantly higher than that of control (2/6, 33.3%), but the number of healthy cloned puppies delivered in the 50 µM group (n = 6) versus the control (n = 2) was not different. In conclusion, post-activation with 50 μM Ro-3306 may enhance nuclear reprogramming of dog cloned embryos. This study was supported by RDA (#PJ010928032017), Korea IPET (#316002-05-2-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Natural Balance Korea and the BK21 plus program.

91 Expression Pattern of Neuron-Specific Red Fluorescence Protein in Nervous System of Transgenic Dog with Human Synapsin I Promoter

Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, affect neurons in large areas within the central nervous system. The selective expression of disease-causing and therapeutic genes in susceptible regions and cell types is critical to the generation of animal models. In our previous studies, we reported production of a transgenic dog by nuclear transfer using donor cells that had been stably transfected by vector containing the red fluorescence protein (RFP) and human synapsin I (SynI) promoter, a neuron-specific promoter. Here, we evaluated whether RFP expression in transgenic dog with SynI (SynI dog) had high neuronal specificity and strong transcriptional activity. For confirmation of neuron-specific RFP expression, tissue samples were obtained from a killed 4-year-old SynI dog. Quantification of RFP in heart, kidney, liver, lung, spleen, cerebrum, cerebrum, cerebellum, midbrain, hippocampus, peripheral nerves, skin, and spinal cord of SynI dog was analysed using ELISA (Cell Biolabs, San Diego, CA, USA). Moreover, the distribution of RFP activity in neural system of the SynI dog was determined by immunohistochemistry. The first antibody, rabbit polyclonal RFP antibody (1:200, ab62341, Abcam, Cambridge, MA, USA) was applied, and antibody labelling was visualised by incubation with avidin-biotinylated horseradish peroxidase complex (1:1,000; ABC Elite, Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA, USA). In the 4-year-old SynI dog, RFP was observed only in neuronal tissues including brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, but was not detected in non-neuronal tissue such as heart, kidney, and skin. In addition, robust RFP expression was observed in the neurons of the peripheral nerve, spinal cord, and prefrontal cortex. In the hippocampus and cerebellum, the RFP-expressing cells appeared heterogeneous in hippocampus neurons and purkinje cells. In conclusion, we report that human SynI promoter is functional in neural cells of dogs. A neural specific-transgene expressed dog could be applied as a research tool in the study of neurodegenerative disorders. This research was supported by RDA (#PJ010928032017), Korea IPET (#316002-05-2-SB010), NRF (#2016R1D1A1B03932198), and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, the BK21 plus program.

The association between muscle mass deficits and arterial stiffness in middle-aged men

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Early diagnosis of arteriosclerosis is fundamental for the prevention of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The current study was performed to identify major predictors of arteriosclerosis and to assess the association between arterial stiffness as measured by cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) and muscle mass deficit (MMD) estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in middle-aged men.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Data were gathered from 3356 middle-aged men who visited a health promotion center. CAVI was measured as an index of arterial stiffness. Body composition analysis was performed using BIA. MMD was positively associated with CAVI in the regression model. The odds ratios for high-CAVI (≥9.0) rose with MMD grade in a dose-dependent manner after adjusting for age, lifestyle factors and current medication use. The estimated mean CAVI rose as MMD grade increased (P for trend >0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

MMD estimated from BIA was positively associated with arterial stiffness in middle-aged men. These findings show a close interaction between low muscle mass and cardiovascular risk.

Chronologic Trends in Studies on Fluoride Mechanisms of Action

Fluoride has been widely used for the prevention of dental caries since the mid-20th century. The aim of this study was to investigate the chronologic trends in studies on fluoride mechanisms of action against dental caries during the years 1950 to 2015. To this aim, queries such as "fluoride," "fluoride and demineralization," "fluoride and remineralization," "fluoride and (plaque or biofilms)," and "fluoride and (bacteria or microbials)" were submitted to PubMed to collect research article information, including titles, abstracts, publication dates, author affiliations, and publication journals. The article information that PubMed produced was then collected by an automatic web crawler and examined through informetrics and linguistic analyses. We found that the number of articles concerned with fluoride mechanisms of action against dental caries was 6,903 and gradually increased over time during the years 1950 to 2015. They were published by 1,136 journals-most notably, Caries Research and Journal of Dental Research. Of the articles published, those related to bacteria/microbials had a higher percentage (44%) than those dealing with plaque/biofilms, demineralization, and remineralization. With regard to the geographic distribution of authors, Europe and North America accounted for 65% of the articles during the years 1987 to 2015, although the number of authors in Asia sharply increased in recent years. Among the fluoride compounds, NaF was mentioned more frequently than SnF₂, Na₂PO₃F, amine fluoride, and acidulated phosphate fluoride during the years 1986 to 2015. Water fluoridation received the most attention among the various fluoride application methods (toothpastes, mouthwashes, fluoride varnishes, and fluoride gels) during the same period. These results, obtained from employing informetrics and linguistic analyses, suggest that in studies on fluoride mechanisms of action, 1) the unbalanced geographic distribution of articles and 2) the heavy concentration of articles on particular fluoride compounds and application methods should be overcome in future research.

27 OXIDATIVE STRESS OF LIVER IN TRANSGENIC PIGLETS WITH MULTIPLE COPIES OF TRANSGENES SOLUBLE HUMAN TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR RECEPTOR TYPE Ig-Fc AND HUMAN HEME OXYGENASE-1

It has been demonstrated that transgene expression is associated with copy number in transgenic animals. Here in, we generated 7 genetically modified pigs expressing both soluble human tumour necrosis factor receptor type Ig-Fc (shTNFRI-Fc) and human heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1). 1 day after Caesarean section, all transgenic cloned piglets showed postnatal death. In the present study, the transgene copy number, H2O2 and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels in cloned piglet liver were examined to identify the relationship between transgene copy number and oxidative stress of postnatal liver. In this study, 2,209 cloned embryos using somatic cells with 15 copies of shTNFRI-Fc and HO-1 were produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer, and transferred into 6 synchronized recipient sows. Among them, pregnancies were identified in 4 recipients using ultrasonography and only 1 recipient was maintained until full term. In total, 7 cloned piglets were delivered by the Caesarean section. On the next day, they showed postnatal death with clinical symptoms such as dyspnea (Group A). As control group, 292 cloned embryos produced from the cells with at least 4 copies of 2 transgenes shTNFRI-Fc and HO-1 were transferred into a synchronized recipient and pregnancy was identified. Two cloned piglets were delivered normally and maintained healthy. The liver of a live cloned piglet with at least 4 copies (Group B) at 2 days after the Caesarean section was isolated and compared with those of dead 7 cloned piglets (Group A) for HO-1, shTNFRI-Fc, H2O2, and SOD by ELISA analysis. The transgene copy number and expression of shTNFRI-Fc and HO-1 were confirmed by genomic DNA PCR, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and ELISA with appropriate antibodies. Statistical analysis was performed using Graphpad Prism. Level of HO-1, shTNFRI-Fc, H2O2, and SOD ELISA results of each piglets were analysed by unpaired t-test with Welch’s correction. While a transgenic piglet (Group B) had at least 4 copy numbers, all dead cloned piglets (Group A) showed 15 copy numbers. A high level of transgene HO-1 and shTNFRI-Fc expression of liver-derived cells in cloned piglets (Group A) was significantly identified compared with those of a transgenic piglet (Group B) by qRT-PCR and ELISA. While the H2O2 level in cloned piglet liver with 15 copy numbers (Group A) was significantly higher (P < 0.05), the SOD level was lower than those of a cloned pig (Group B; P < 0.05). These results demonstrated that multiple copy numbers could affect the level of oxidative stress in cloned piglet liver. It also affected the transgene expression levels and mortality of cloned piglets. This study was supported by National Research Foundation (#2015R1C1A2A01054373. 2016M3A9B6903410), Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (#10048948), Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries (#114059–03–2-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Natural Balance and the BK21 plus program.

29 POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY IMAGING OF BRAIN METABOLISM AND DOPAMINERGIC NEURON DESTRUCTION IN PARKINSON&apos;S DISEASE MODEL PIG

Due to similarities between human and porcine, pigs have been proposed as an excellent experimental animal for human medical research. Especially in paediatric brain research, piglets share similarities with human infants in the extent of peak brain growth at the time of birth and the growth pattern of brain. Thus, these findings have supported the wider use of pigs rather than rodents in neuroscience research. Previously, we reported the production of porcine model of Parkinson's disease (PD) by nuclear transfer using donor cell that had been stably infected with lentivirus containing the human α-synuclein gene. The purpose of this study was to determine the alternation of brain metabolism and dopaminergic neuron destruction using noninvasive method in a 2-yr-old PD model and a control pig. The positron emission tomography (PET) scan was done using Biograph TruePoint40 with a TrueV (Siemens, Munich, Germany). The [18F]N-(3-fluoropropyl)-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane (FP-CIT) was administrated via the ear vein. Static images of the brain for 15 min were acquired from 2 h after injection. The 18F-fluorodeoxy-D-glucose PET (18F-FDG PET) images of the brain were obtained for 15 min at 45 min post-injection. Computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed at the same location of the brain. In both MRI and CT images, there was no difference in brain regions between PD model and control pigs. However, administration of [18F]FP-CIT was markedly decreased in the bilateral putamen of the PD model pig compared with the control pigs. Moreover, [18F]FP-CIT administration was asymmetrical in the PD model pig but it was symmetrical in control pigs. Regional brain metabolism was also assessed and there was no significant difference in cortical metabolism of PD model and control pigs. We demonstrated that PET imaging could provide a foundation for translational Parkinson neuroimaging in transgenic pigs. In the present study, a 2-yr-old PD model pig showed dopaminergic neuron destruction in brain regions. Therefore, PD model pig expressing human α-synuclein gene would be an efficient model for human PD patients. This study was supported by Korea IPET (#311011–05–5-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, TS Corporation and the BK21 plus program.

174 EFFECT OF HUMAN ENDOTHELIAL PROGENITOR CELLS ON IN VITRO MATURATION OF PORCINE OOCYTES AND PARTHENOGENETIC EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT COMPETENCE

In oocyte maturation, hepatocyte growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) contribute to promote granulosa cell proliferation and cumulus cell expansion. It is well known that human endothelial progenitor cells (hEPC), which are isolated from monocytes and macrophages, secrete a variety of growth factors, such as hepatocyte growth factor and VEGF, and improve the process of angiogenesis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hEPC on in vitro oocyte maturation and subsequent embryo development in pigs. To isolate and culture hEPC, human peripheral blood sample was collected from a healthy donor and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were separated. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells were seeded into flask with defined Keratinocyte-SFM-based medium and incubated at 37°C, 5% CO2. The hEPC were cultured and cryopreserved until use for co-culturing with porcine oocytes obtained from a local slaughterhouse ovaries. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were randomly cultured in 2 groups; 1) co-culturing with hEPC and 2) culturing without hEPC. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were cultured in the in vitro maturation (IVM) medium containing TCM-199 supplemented with 0.57 mM cysteine, 0.91 mM sodium pyruvate, 5 μL mL−1 of insulin-transferrin-selenium solution 100X (Invitrogen, Seoul, South Korea), 10% porcine follicular fluid, 10 IU mL−1 of eCG, and 10 IU mL−1 of hCG. After IVM, the first polar body extrusion was observed under the microscope. To evaluate embryo development competence, the matured oocytes were activated with electrical stimulus and cultured in porcine zygote medium-5 for 7 days. The cleavage and blastocyst formation rates were observed on Day 2 and 7, respectively. Also, blastocysts were stained with Hoechst 33342 and total blastocyst cell numbers were evaluated under a fluorescence microscope. As a result, the oocyte maturation rate or first polar body extrusion rate of the hEPC co-culture group (90.06 ± 0.75) was significantly higher than the control group (90.06 ± 0.75 v. 85.79 ± 0.59; P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the hEPC co-cultured and the control groups in cleavage rate. However, a significant difference in blastocyst formation rate was observed between the hEPC co-cultured and the control groups (28.45 ± 4.92 v. 15.87 ± 2.27; P < 0.05), whereas total blastocyst cell numbers did not show significant difference between the 2 groups. The all data were analysed by unpaired t-test using GraphPad Prism 5.0 (GraphPad Software Inc., La Jolla, CA, USA). Values are means ± standard error of mean. In conclusion, the results in the present study demonstrated that co-culturing with hEPC improved the in vitro oocyte maturation and blastocyst formation rate. Also, we are underway in analysing the concentration of VEGF families in the hEPC co-culture medium after IVM. For further study, we will analyse the genes of the VEGF signaling pathway in the cumulus cells and matured oocytes derived from the 2 groups. This research was supported by Nature Cell (#550-20150030), global PH.D Fellowship Program through NRF funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-20142A1021187), and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, the BK21 plus program.

37 NORMALITY OF NEONATAL REFLEX IN CLONED DOGS

Since the birth of the world’s first cloned dog, Snuppy, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) has been a useful tool to propagate the dogs with identical genetic information. However, it is known that cloned animals sometimes exhibit phenotypic instability or abnormality. There have been few investigations about the normality of the neonatal reflex in cloned animals. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the neonatal reflex in 3 breeds of cloned dogs including shepherd, retriever, and beagle from birth to 28 days of age. Through SCNT, 8 cloned dogs were produced. After birth, 3 types of neonatal reflexes were examined and scored. For examining the flexor dominance reflex, neonatal cloned dogs were held upright and the flexor position of the limb was scored. To evaluate the withdrawal and crossed extensor reflexes, neonates were placed in lateral recumbence and their forelimbs were allowed to relax. Then, the distal forelimbs were pinched and responses were scored according to the frequency and intensity (strong = score 2, variable = score 1, and absent = score 0). The standard responses of neonates were referred from Lindsay et al. (2000 Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training 1, 31–47). Descriptive analysis was used, which was based on the scores from 3 referees who evaluated the videos. The flexor dominance reflex could not be observed (score 0.0) in shepherd by Day 8, in beagle by Day 14 and in retriever by Day 16. Withdrawal reflex began to decrease on Day 22 with score 1.8 for beagle and retriever but decreased in shepherd starting on Day 24 with score 1.8. Crossed extensor reflex for shepherd started to disappear on Day 14 with score 1.5 and completely disappeared (score 0.0) on Day 22; for beagle started to disappear on Day 16 with score 1.8 and was still found until Day 28 with score 1.1; for retriever started to disappear on Day 20 and 28 with score 1.7 and 0.7, respectively. Flexor dominance reflex disappeared in cloned shepherd at a similar time to standard but beagle and retriever seem delayed 6 to 8 days compared with the reference. Withdrawal reflex in all breeds showed normal changes that should persist until adulthood. Cross extensor reflex in shepherd was close to reference but in beagle and retriever was delayed beyond Day 28; this reflex should disappear before adulthood. This study demonstrated that normal neonatal reflexes were identified in the cloned dogs, with some variations among breed. To adapt neonatal reflex as a marker to confirm phenotypic normality in cloned dogs, further investigation using various breeds of cloned dogs and greater numbers of subjects is needed. This study was supported by IPET (#316002-05-1-SB010), RDA (#PJ010928032016), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Natural Balance Korea and the BK21 plus program.

31 EFFICIENT GENERATION OF klotho MUTATIONS IN PORCINE SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER EMBRYOS USING A DELIVERY OF Cas9 RIBONUCLEOPROTEINS

Pigs are useful models for studying human diseases because of the similarity of their anatomy and physiology. Recent advances in genome editing techniques such as zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated Cas9 system (CRISPR/Cas9) have made it possible to produce animals for specific purposes. Especially, recent application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system improved the efficiency of genome editing in pigs with higher targeting efficiency or percentage of desired mutation compared to other meganucleases (ZFNs and TALENs). The klotho deficiency in small animals such as mice is characterised by an extremely shortened life span with multiple aging-like phenotypes similar to human premature-aging syndromes. However, limited information is available on the function of klotho in large animals such as pigs. The objective of this study was to determine whether the use of non-selected porcine fibroblasts electroporated with Cas9/sgRNA ribonucleoproteins, targeting the klotho gene, for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) results in high mutation rates in embryos. A CRISPR sgRNA specific for the klotho gene was designed and sgRNA (targeting exon 3 of klotho) and type 2 Cas9 RNPs (total 36 μg, 1:4 ratio, respectively) were transfected into porcine fibroblasts via Neon (Life Technologies) with a single DC pulse of 1400 V for 30 ms. Then, transfected fibroblasts were cultured for 1 day and used randomly for SCNT without selection. SCNT was performed by enucleation of in vitro-matured porcine oocyte, followed by injection of non-selected donor cells, fusion with a single DC pulse of 200 V/mm for 30 μs using an electro cell fusion generator (LF101; Nepa Gene Co.), and electrical activation with a single DC pulse of 150 V/mm for 60 μs using a BTX Electro-Cell Manipulator 2001 (BTX Inc.). The SCNT embryos were cultured in PZM5 culture medium to Day 7 and analysed for the presence of modifications to the klotho gene. Blastocysts were classified as modified if they contained an INDEL as measured by both T7E1 assay and deep sequencing of PCR amplicons spanning the targeted exon. The klotho modification rate was 65% (n = 13), of which 38.5% (n = 5) of the embryos contained biallelic modifications. In conclusion, SCNT with non-selected donor cells transfected with Cas9/sgRNA RNPs might be an efficient and simple tool to produce klotho deficient pigs as models for human diseases. Further studies are required to generate klotho deficient pigs by performing embryo transfer to the recipients. This study was supported by Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries (#311011–05–5-SB010, #114059–03–2-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, TS Corporation and the BK21 plus program.

38 PRODUCTION OF TRANSGENIC DOGS THAT OVEREXPRESS PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR-ALPHA IN A MUSCLE-SPECIFIC MANNER

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. Among 3 major types of PPAR (PPARα, PPARβ, and PPARγ), PPARα is expressed in tissues having a high rate of β-oxidation, such as brown adipose tissue, liver, kidney, heart, and skeletal muscle. The purpose of this study was to produce transgenic dogs that overexpress PPARα in a muscle-specific manner. Male beagle fetal fibroblasts were infected with viruses containing PPARα under a human myoglobin promoter and green fluorescent protein (GFP) under an EF1 promoter. Stable infectants were isolated with puromycin, and stored in liquid nitrogen until somatic cell nuclear transfer. Natural oestrus and ovulation of 22 dogs (13 oocyte donors and 9 recipients) was monitored by serum progesterone concentration, and in vivo-matured oocytes were recovered by surgical oviduct flushing. After cumulus cells were removed by repeated pipetting, nuclear materials of the denuded oocytes were removed. A GFP-expressing cell was selected under ultraviolet light, and injected into the enucleated oocyte. Then, the oocyte-cell couplets were fused electrically and activated chemically. Immediately after activation, the cloned embryos were transferred into the oviducts of recipient dogs. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed at least 27 days after embryo transfer by ultrasonography, and serum progesterone concentration, rectal temperature, and fetal heartbeat were monitored for safe delivery. As results, 152 in vivo oocytes were recovered from oocyte donor dogs, and 116 cloned embryos were produced with the infected fetal fibroblast cells. Among them, 113 cloned embryos were transferred into 9 recipient dogs, and 3 were diagnosed as pregnant. Three healthy transgenic cloned puppies were produced, and they could serve as a canine model having enhanced physical performance and obesity resistance. This study was supported by NRF (#2014R1A1A2059928), RDA (#PJ010928032016), IPET (#311062-04-3SB010), Nature Cell, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Natural Balance Korea and the BK21 plus program.

212 EFFECT OF CANINE OVIDUCT CELLS AND CUMULUS CELLS CO-CULTURE ON IN VITRO MATURATION OF PORCINE OOCYTES AND EMBRYO DEVELOPMENT

In oestrus stage, canine oocytes surrounded by cumulus cells undergo maturation in oviduct for 3 days after ovulation. We hypothesised that canine cumulus cells (cCC) and canine oviduct cells (cOC) in oestrus stage might affect the maturation of oocyte and embryo development. Therefore, the present study was aimed to compare the effects of cCC and cOC co-culture system on oocyte in vitro maturation and embryo in vitro development. cCC were separated from cumulus‐oocyte complex (COC) in ovary from bitches in oestrus phase. cOC were collected from oviduct flushing of bitches in oestrus phase. Both cCC and cOC were cultured and cryopreserved until use for co-culture. In the first experiment, the effect of co-culture using cCC and cOC on porcine oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) were investigated. The porcine COC were randomly cultured in different co-culture groups as follows: 1) co-culturing with cCC for 42 h, 2) co-culturing with cOC for 42 h, and 3) culturing in absence of cCC or cOC. After IVM, extrusion of the first polar body was observed under a microscope. In the second experiment, the matured oocytes with the first polar body derived from each group were activated with electrical stimulus. Parthenotes were cultured in porcine zygote medium-5 (PZM-5) for 7 days at 39°C, 5% CO2 and O2 in a humidified atmosphere. The embryo developmental competence was estimated by assessing the in vitro development under microscope. The third experiment was to evaluate the reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in each supernatant medium obtained from cCC and cOC co-culture group after IVM using a OxiselectTM ROS ELISA Assay kit. Last, analysis of genes (MAPK1/3, SMAD2/3, GDF9 and BMP15) expression in cCC and cOC co-cultured with porcine COC using real-time PCR is in progress. As results, IVM rate of cOC group (91.19 ± 0.45%) was significantly higher than that of cCC and control group (86.50 ± 0.61% and 79.81 ± 0.82%; P < 0.05). Also, cOC groups expressed the highest efficiency in cleavage rate, blastocyst formation rate, and the total cell number in blastocyst (P < 0.05). In ROS levels, cOC group (555 ± 7.77 nM) were significantly lower than cCC and control groups (596.8 ± 8.52 nM and 657.8 ± 11.34 nM). The present study demonstrated that co-culture with cOC improved the in vitro oocyte maturation and the in vitro development rate of porcine embryos. The ROS level decreased in cOC co-culture would have beneficial influence on oocytes maturation. For further study, we will investigate the relation between gene expression related to oocyte maturation and the co-culture results. This research was supported by a global PhD Fellowship Program through NRF funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-20142A1021187), RDA (#PJ010928032015), IPET (#311011–05–4-SB010, #311062–04–3-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, and the BK21 plus program.

152 PROLIFERATION- AND SENESCENCE-RELATED GENE EXPRESSION IN CANINE FIBROBLASTS DERIVED FROM DOGS OF DIFFERENT AGE

In pig, cattle and mouse cloning, the age of the cell donor can influence cloning efficiency. However, little is known regarding the effects of the cell donor’s age related to cell proliferation and senescence and its importance for canine cloning. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of cell donor age on growth pattern and doubling time of cell populations, cell size, viability, and senescence-related gene expression (p53, p16, p21, Rb1, and E2F1) in canine fibroblasts. Cells were derived from 1-year-old and 7-year-old dogs. To obtain the fibroblasts, primary culture was performed using ear biopsies from three 1-year-old dogs (1yr) and three 7-year-old dogs (7yr), and cells at passage 2 to 6 were used for somatic cell cloning. Cells were plated at 1 × 105 cells well–1 and harvested every 24 h for 6 days. Cell number was determined for measurement of growth pattern and doubling time. The harvested cells were stained with trypan blue and their size and viability were analysed using a Countess automated cell counter (ThermoFisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). Gene expression was measured by RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation and gene expression experiments were technically replicated 3 and 4 times, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA) and t-test (P < 0.05) was used. Growth curves in both groups showed typical S-shape and at Day 6, 1yr samples had significantly higher cell numbers compared with 7yr samples. For doubling times, passages 2 to 5 of 1yr (29.8 ± 4.4 h, 41.0 ± 1.6 h, 49.5 ± 4.8 h, and 71.3 ± 8.4 h) were significantly shorter than those of 7yr (47.0 ± 4.5 h, 57.1 ± 2.3 h, 65.8 ± 1.8 h, and 126.4 ± 12.4 h). Cells from passage 6 of 7yr and passage 7 of 1yr did not reach confluence at Day 6. Cell size of 1yr (14.1 ± 0.2 µm) was significantly smaller than that of 7yr (15.3 ± 0.2 µm). Additionally, there was no significant difference in cell viability between 1yr (90.7 ± 0.8%) and 7yr (88.7 ± 0.7%). However, mRNA expression of p53, p21, and Rb1 was significantly lower in 1yr cells compared with 7yr cells. The expression level of E2F1 was significantly higher in 1yr cells. There was no significant difference between 1yr and 7yr cells for p16 expression. In conclusion, proliferation analysis indicated that somatic cells derived from old donor dogs reach a state of senescence more rapidly compared with those of young donor dogs. In addition, analysis of gene expression demonstrated that cells from old donor dogs have significantly increased p53, p21, and Rb1 expression levels, which indicate senescence. Further studies are needed to produce dogs using 1yr and 7yr cells to evaluate the effect of donor aging in canine somatic cell nuclear transfer efficiency. This study was supported by RAD (#PJ0109282015), IPET (#311062-04-3-SB010), Nature Cell, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, (Natural Balance Korea or Nestle Purina Korea) and the BK21 plus program. We thank Barry D. Bavister for his valuable editing of the manuscript.

153 DIFFERENT MOLECULAR MECHANISMS FOR HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITOR-INDUCED APOPTOSIS IN DOG FIBROBLASTS AND MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been applied to cancer research for a therapeutic purpose or somatic cell nuclear transfer for improvement of embryonic reprogramming. Considering the ubiquitous expression of HDAC in normal cells, effects of HDAC inhibitors on normal cells need to be evaluated in detail. Therefore, we aimed to investigate molecular mechanisms of HDAC inhibitor-induced apoptosis in mesenchymal stem cells and compare with the results from fibroblasts. Beagle skin fibroblasts (BF) and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) lines were established from a 7-year-old beagle. Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and RCMEp (K-stem Cell Ltd, Seoul, Korea) were used as culture media for BF and MSC, respectively. A Food and Drug Administration-approved HDAC inhibitor, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). On passage 4, cells were subcultured to reach 50% of confluency, and cultured with 5 μM of SAHA. Culture medium containing the same volume of DMSO used in the SAHA group was used for the control. After 24 h, all cells were harvested, RNAs were extracted, and cDNA were synthesised. Transcript expression of anti-apoptotic genes (BFL, MCL, BCLxl, BCL2) and pro-apoptotic genes (BAX, BID, BIM) were analysed using RT-PCR. Two-way ANOVA using GraphPad Prism 5.0 (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA) with Bonferroni post-tests was performed for statistical analysis. Expression of MCL and BCLxl was significantly decreased in both groups. However, although BFL expression was remarkably increased only in BF (16.7-fold), BCL2 was significantly increased in MSC (7.2-fold) after SAHA treatment. Also, transcript of BAX was significantly increased in MSC (1.5-fold), and BID was significantly decreased in BF (0.3-fold). These results would be helpful to understand different molecular mechanisms of apoptosis induced by HDAC inhibitor on fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells. This study was supported by RDA (#PJ010928032015), IPET (#311062-04-3SB010), NRF (#2014R1A1A2059928), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Nestle Purina PetCare, and the BK21 plus program.

35 EFFECT OF 6-DIMETHYLAMINOPURINE TREATMENT DURATION ON PRONUCLEAR FORMATION AND IN VIVO DEVELOPMENT OF CANINE CLONED EMBRYO

Artificial activation is an important step for successful somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In order to clone animals, diverse methods of activation have been studied to increase the developmental efficiency of cloned embryos. Here, we investigated the pronucleus formation and in vivo development of canine cloned embryos produced by different durations of 1.9 mM 6-dimethylaminopurine (DMAP) treatment. For canine SCNT, in vivo-matured oocytes were enucleated, microinjected into the perivitelline space with donor cells, and fused by electrical stimulation. For activation, the fused couplets were cultured for 4 min in 10 μM calcium ionophore, and then they were divided into 2 groups: (1) the 2DMAP group was cultured for 2 h in DMAP; (2) the 4DMAP group was cultured for 4 h in DMAP. Activated cloned embryos were subjected to 2 analyses: (1) observing the pronuclear formation by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation at 2 h, 4 h and 8 h post-activation (hpa), and (2) following fetus formation and pregnancy efficiency after embryo transfer into naturally synchronous recipients. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasonography on Day 26 of embryo transfer. Data were analysed using Graph Prism software (GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). All cloned embryos of the 2DMAP group showed BrdU incorporation at 2 hpa, whereas 4DMAP embryos showed 77.7% BrdU incorporation at 2 hpa (P < 0.05). Incorporation of BrdU was detected in all cloned embryos of both experimental groups after 4 hpa and 8 hpa. A total of 370 cloned embryos were transferred to 24 surrogate mothers (182 cloned embryos into 12 recipients in 2DMAP group and 188 cloned embryos into 12 recipients in 4DMAP group). There was no significant difference in pregnancy rate (2DMAP; 41.6% v. 4DMAP; 33.3%) or implantation rates (2DMAP; 4.9% v. 4DMAP; 3.7%) between the 2 groups. In conclusion, DMAP exposure for 2 h in activation completed pronucleus development of canine reconstructed embryos. However, none of the applied tested treatments resulted in increased implantation rates. This study was supported by RDA (#PJ008975022014), IPET (#311062–04–3SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Nestlé Purina PetCare and the BK21 plus program.

211 TRANSCRIPTS EXPRESSION RELATED TO MAPK/SMAD2 PATHWAY IN OVIDUCT CELL, CUMULUS CELL, AND OOCYTE DERIVED FROM DIESTRUS BITCHES

Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) are known to play an essential role in regulating ovarian follicular development and ovulation rate via SMAD pathway in several species and have different functions depending on the species. However, their expression and function have not yet been reported in dogs. Therefore, the aim of present study is to analyse expressions of transcripts related to the MAPK/SMAD2 pathway in oviduct cell, cumulus cell, and oocyte derived from diestrus bitches. Ovariohysterectomy was performed in 5 large, mixed breed dogs 3 days after serum progesterone reached 5–10 ng mL–1. Oviduct cells were obtained by scraping the superficial oviduct tissue and oocytes were obtained by mincing the ovary. Both cumulus cells derived from non-ovulated oocytes (IM-cumulus) and ovulated oocytes (M-cumulus) were obtained. Oviduct, IM-cumulus, and M-cumulus cells were cultured using RCMEP media and cryopreserved using FBS containing 10% DMSO. Total RNA was extracted from Oviduct, IM-cumulus, and M-cumulus cells and oocytes. After cDNA synthesis, transcript expression of β-actin, GDF9, MAPK1, BMP6, and SMAD2 genes were analysed. The data was analysed by one-way ANOVA using GraphPad Prism 5.0 (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA). The threshold for statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. In results, mRNA expression of MAPK1 was not significantly different among the cells. However, expressions of BMP6, GDF9, and SMAD2 were significantly higher in oocytes compared to oviduct, IM-cumulus, and M-cumulus cells. Although oviduct cells showed increased GDF9 and SMAD2 transcripts similar to that of oocytes, there was no significant difference between them. In conclusion, MAPK/SMAD2 pathway may have important roles in growth of immature oocytes in dogs and oviduct cells may help the maturation of ovulated immature oocytes. Further studies will be conducted to analyse MAPK/SMAD2 pathway in anestrus, proestrus, and oestrus periods.This research was supported by RDA (#PJ008975022014), IPET (#311062-04-3SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, the BK21 plus program, and global PhD Fellowship Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2014H1A2A1021187).

34 COMPARISON OF PROLIFERATION AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY IN FIBROBLASTS DERIVED FROM GYEONG-JU DONGGYEONG DOGS ACCORDING TO THEIR AGE

Donggyeong dog is a breed considered a natural monument in Korea since 2012. Nevertheless, this breed is only found in Gyeong-ju and is classified as endangered. The use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) could be applied to preserve these endangered dogs. Among various ART, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) may be a good technique for achieving propagation of genetically identical individuals. For this reason, we investigated the effect of age of the cell donor on several characteristics, including growth pattern, doubling time of cell populations, cell size, viability, and telomerase activity in Gyeong-ju Donggyeong dog fibroblast cultures before SCNT. Primary fibroblast cell cultures were performed using ear biopsies from 1-year-old (D-1yr) and 7-year-old (D-7yr) Donggyeong dogs and cells at passage 2 to 6 from in this study. Cells were plated at 1 × 105 cells well–1 in a 6-well plate. Cells were harvested every 24 h for 6 days, and cell number was determined to measure growth pattern and doubling time. The harvested cells were stained with trypan blue, their size and viability were analysed using a Countess Automated Cell Counter (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA, USA). Telomerase activity was measured by telomeric repeat amplification protocol using TeloTAGGG Telomerase PCR ELISAPLUS. All experiments were replicated at least 3 times. Statistical analysis was performed using Graphpad Prism (GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, CA, USA), and t-test (P < 0.05) was used to compare the growth pattern, doubling time, cell size, viability, and telomerase activity between D-1yr and D-7yr groups. Growth curves in both groups showed the typical “S” shape and no significant differences between D-1yr and D-7yr groups. However, doubling times from 2nd to 5th passages of D-1yr (20.0 ± 0.3 h, 38.0 ± 0.5 h, 38.7 ± 0.5 h, and 53.4 ± 1.4 h) were significantly shorter than those of D-7yr (37.0 ± 1.2 h, 54.0 ± 3.6 h, 63.3 ± 1.8 h, and 100.9 ± 4.4 h). Cells from 6th passage of D-7yr and 7th passage of D-1yr did not reach confluence. Cell size of D-1yr (13.6 ± 0.2 μm) was significantly smaller than that of D-7yr (14.9 ± 0.3 μm; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between D-1yr (89.4 ± 1.4%) and D-7yr (88.9 ± 1.2%) in cell viability but relative telomerase activity was significantly higher in D-1yr (37.8 ± 7.5) compared with D-7yr (19.0 ± 6.2, P < 0.001). In conclusion, these results suggest that fibroblasts derived from young Donggyeong dogs are more suitable for SCNT than those from old donors. For further study, dog cloning using D-1yr and D-7yr should be performed to evaluate the effect of donor age in canine SCNT efficiency.

36 EFFECT OF SUBEROYLANILIDE HYDROXAMIC ACID TREATED DONOR CELLS ON DOG CLONING

Although dog cloning technology has been applied to conservation of endangered canids, propagation of elite dogs and production of transgenic dogs, the efficiency of cloning is still very low. To help overcome this problem, we evaluated the effect of treating donor cells with suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi), on dog cloning efficiency. Relative mRNA expression of the bax1, bcl2, and Dnmt1 in fibroblasts treated with different concentrations (0, 1, 10, 50 μM) of SAHA and durations (0, 20, 44 h) were assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. After determining an optimum concentration and duration, histone acetylation levels (H3K9, H4K5/K8/K12/K16) of SAHA-treated cells were analysed using immunostaining. The SAHA-treated cells were used as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer, and activated reconstructed embryos were transferred to recipients. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed by ultrasonography at least 29 days after the embryo transfer. All experiments were repeated more than 3 times and the data were analysed using Graph Prism software (GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). An unpaired t-test was used to compare transcripts levels and fluorescence intensities. A chi-squared test was used to compare the implantation rates. The bax1/bcl2 ratio of the 1 μM SAHA group was similar to that of control but significantly increased in the 10 μM and 50 μM groups. Expression of Dnmt1 was decreased in the 1 μM SAHA group, and the 10 μM and 50 μM groups showed the lowest expression compared with the control group. Although the bax1/blc2 ratio was not affected by the SAHA treatment duration, 20-h treatment group showed significantly decreased Dnmt1 levels compared with control group. As a pan-HDAC inhibitor, 1 μM for 20 h of SAHA treatment significantly increased acetylation of H3K9, H4K5, H4K8, and H4K16. For control and SAHA groups, a total of 76 and 64 cloned embryos were produced and transferred to 7 and 5 recipients, respectively. Three fetuses were diagnosed in both groups but there was no significant difference in the pregnancy rate. In conclusion, although SAHA treatment as used in this study significantly decreased bax/bcl2 and Dnmt1 transcripts of donor nuclei, as well as increased H3 and H4 acetylation, it would not enough to increase in vivo developmental competence of cloned dog embryos.This study was supported by RDA (#PJ008975022014), IPET (#311062–04–3SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science and the BK21 plus program.

33 TELOMERASE ACTIVITIES IN CLONED BEAGLE DOGS

Telomerase is important ribonucleoprotein for restoring telomere length from its own RNA template. Regarding cloned animals derived from somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), interesting questions have been raised about whether the cloning process restores cellular telomerase activity undergone by their donor cells. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of cloning on telomerase activity in the dog and normality of telomerase activity in cloned dogs. Focusing our attention on differences in telomerase activity depending on the age, we analysed telomerase activity in dogs produced by natural breeding of various ages. Comparison of the telomerase activities of cloned dogs and those of dogs produced by natural breeding was also performed. For SCNT, 2 cell donors, 7- and 9-year-old beagles, were used and donor cells were isolated from ear skin. After establishing donor cell lines, the enucleated canine in vivo-matured oocytes and the cells were injected and fused by electrofusion. After 30 days from embryo transfer, pregnancy diagnosis was performed and 7 cloned dogs were produced on the due date. For standardization of telomerase activity in beagles produced by natural breeding, blood of total 14 dogs at each age (10 months, 20 months, 5, 7, and 8 years old) were collected and telomerase activity was measured by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay. Telomerase activity measurements of at least 6 replications in each dog were performed. For statistical analysis, one-way ANOVA with Dunn's Multiple Comparison Test was used. Significant differences in telomerase activity were observed between the blood of cloned and donor dogs. It was shown that mean telomerase activities were decreased according to biological aging with significances. Mean telomerase activities in 10 cloned dogs were higher than those of a donor dog. Cloned dogs also showed similar levels of telomerase activities as their age-matched natural bred dogs, suggesting that they are within the variation in normal dogs. These observations indicate that the cloning process restores the telomerase activity in the dog. Thus, complex regulation of telomerase activity during nuclear reprogramming may regulate and be involved in telomerase activity in cloned dogs. It remains to be determined whether telomere length is correlated with telomerase activity and if it accurately reflects the physiological age of cloned dogs.This study was supported by IPET (#311062–04–2-SB010), RDA (PJ008975022013), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, the BK21 program, Nestle Purina Korea, and TS Corporation.

Fabrication of GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As multiple quantum well nanostructures on (100) si substrate using a 1-nm InAs relief layer

Nanometer scale thin InAs layer has been incorporated between Si (100) substrate and GaAs/Al0.3Ga0.7As multiple quantum well (MQW) nanostructure in order to reduce the defects generation during the growth of GaAs buffer layer on Si substrate. Observations based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) suggest that initiation and propagation of defect at the Si/GaAs interface could be suppressed by incorporating thin (1 nm in thickness) InAs layer. Consequently, the microstructure and resulting optical properties improved as compared to the MQW structure formed directly on Si substrate without the InAs layer. It was also observed that there exists some limit to the desirable thickness of the InAs layer since the MQW structure having thicker InAs layer (4 nm-thick) showed deteriorated properties.

Costs of illness and quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in South Korea

OBJECTIVE

To assess the costs of illness, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and their associated factors in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in South Korea.

METHOD

Two hundred and one patients with SLE were enrolled at the Rheumatology clinic of Seoul National University Hospital. Direct, indirect and total costs and HRQOL were measured using hospital electronic data and face-to-face interview. Socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with cost of illness and HRQOL were analyzed using multiple regression and multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

The average total cost of illness was estimated to be KRW 9.82 million (US $ 8993) per year, of which 41.6% was accounted for by direct costs and 58.4% by indirect costs. In multivariate regression, patients with renal involvement and those with depression incurred an average increment in annual total costs of 37.6% (p = 0.050) and 49.1% (p = 0.024), respectively, and an average increment in annual direct costs of 26.4% (p = 0.050) and 43.3% (p = 0.002), respectively, compared with patients without renal involvement and depression, respectively. In addition, disease damage was positively associated with an average increment in annual total and direct costs (55.3%, p = 0.006; 33.3%, p = 0.013, respectively), and the occurrence of indirect costs (OR 2.21, 1.09-4.88). There was no significant difference in HRQOL between patients with and without renal involvement (0.655 vs. 0.693, p = 0.203) CONCLUSION: Renal involvement, depression, and disease damage were major factors associated with higher total and medical costs for patients with SLE in South Korea. Effective treatment of renal disorders and depression may reduce the high economic burden of SLE.

Analgesic efficacy of caudal dexamethasone combined with ropivacaine in children undergoing orchiopexy

BACKGROUND

Epidural administration of dexamethasone might reduce postoperative pain in adults. We evaluated whether a caudal block of 0.1 mg kg(-1) dexamethasone combined with ropivacaine improves analgesic efficacy in children undergoing day-case orchiopexy.

METHODS

This randomized, double-blind study included 80 children aged 6 months to 5 yr who underwent day-case, unilateral orchiopexy. Patients received either 1.5 ml kg(-1) of 0.15% ropivacaine (Group C) or 1.5 ml kg(-1) of 0.15% ropivacaine in which dexamethasone of 0.1 mg kg(-1) was mixed (Group D) for caudal analgesia. Postoperative pain scores, rescue analgesic consumption, and side-effects were evaluated 48 h after operation.

RESULTS

Postoperative pain scores at 6 and 24 h post-surgery were significantly lower in Group D than in Group C. Furthermore, the number of subjects who remained pain free up to 48 h after operation was significantly greater in Group D [19 of 38 (50%)] than in Group C [four of 37 (10.8%); P<0.001]. The number of subjects who received oral analgesic was significantly lower in Group D [11 of 38 (28.9%)] than in Group C [20 of 37 (54.1%); P=0.027]. Time to first oral analgesic administration after surgery was also significantly longer in Group D than in Group C (P=0.014). Adverse events after surgery including vomiting, fever, wound infection, and wound dehiscence were comparable between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of dexamethasone 0.1 mg kg(-1) to ropivacaine for caudal block can significantly improve analgesic efficacy in children undergoing orchiopexy. Clinical trial registration NCT01604915.

200 TELOMERASE ACTIVITY MODIFICATION WITH RESVERATROL IN CANINE ADIPOSE-DERIVED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

It has been established that the telomerase activity of donor cells is causally linked to the reprogramming efficiency, which includes somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Among the many cell source as donor cells of SCNT, canine adipose-derived stem cells (Ad-MSCs), a form of adult stem cells, are donor cells that have been recently used. Resveratrol (trans-3,5,4′-trihydroxystilbene), a polyphenolphytoalexin, possesses diverse biochemical and physiological action, including antiplatelet and reducing cellular senescence via telomerase activity modification. However, appropriate dose and time of resveratrol for telomerase activity modification in Ad-MSCs have not been investigated. In addition, unlike most normal somatic cells which have negative telomerase activities; low to moderate levels of the enzyme in mesenchymal stem cells have been described. In the present study, we compared the cellular telomerase activity of Ad-MSCs according to the dose of resveratrol and passages of Ad-MSCs. Cells were isolated from collected adipose derived tissues of beagle at age 7 and cultured in RCME-P provided from RNL Bio incorporation. For identification of telomerase activity in ad-MSCs, adult fibroblasts derived from same dog were used as negative control. After 2 days of cultivation, Ad-MSCs were treated with 2 μM, 10 μM, or 25 μM resveratrol or without resveratrol at 39°C for 24 h in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air. Ad-MSCs with passage at 1, 4, and 7 were used for analysis. Telomerase activity was measured by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol assay. Statistical analysis was performed by the two-way ANOVA. P < 0.05 was considered as showing a statistically significant difference between means. It revealed that Ad-MSCs have telomerase activity significantly higher than those shown in fibroblasts (negative control). Resveratrol increased telomerase activity, with maximal increase at 10, 25 μM at passage of 1, 4 (P < 0.05). However, increase of telomerase activity in Ad-MSCs treated with 10, 25 μM at passage 7 was not shown and the telomerase activities of Ad-MSCs at passage 7 were lower than those of Ad-MSCs at passage 1 and 4 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the telomerase activity was detectable in canine Ad-MSCs, which may suggest that canine Ad-MSCs have similar telomere biology compared to that of other adult stem cells. Furthermore, resveratrol can enhance activation of telomerase activity with dose dependent increase. Further studies are warranted on efficiency of establishing a stable donor cells for SCNT using Ad-MSCs treated with resveratrol. This study was supported by R&E (#550–20130027), IPET (#311062–04–2-SB010), RNL Bio (#550–20130013), RDA (PJ008975022013), the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, and TS Corporation.

37 RESTORING REPROGRAMMING ABNORMALITIES IN A CLONED DOG HAVING ECTOPIC LIVER AND GALL BLADDER BY RECLONING

The risk of reprogramming abnormalities such as placental hyperdevelopment, excessive fetal growth, or abnormalities of the immune system in cloned neonates is one of the major concerns in cloning research. However, until now, relatively few studies about birth defects have been reported in dog cloning, which might be due to the short in vitro manipulated procedure in this species. Here, we report a cloned dog having abnormal liver and investigated whether the abnormal liver was due to genetic modification. A cloned beagle was produced from a fibroblast derived from a 10-year-old donor, but accidentally died due to cannibalism of a nanny dog on the day of birth. During autopsy, an abnormal liver structure was found; 7 lobes were presented at the normal liver position inside the abdomen, but there was no gall bladder. Interestingly, 3 additional lobes with a gall bladder were found in between the rib and the skin. There were no other macroscopic anomalies observed in this puppy. To evaluate the heredity of this liver abnormality, the liver structure of the donor dog was diagnosed by computed tomography (CT). Also, to assess the possibility of restoring the liver abnormality, recloning was performed using a fibroblast cell line established from the dead pup, and liver positions in the recloned dogs were diagnosed by CT after puberty. In results, 2 recipients delivered 5 recloned dogs with birthweights of 510, 250, 460, 400, and 410 g. The smallest one showed severe bow-legged phenotype in its hind leg, and a unique coat pattern that showed the largest white coat surface. The pup died 10 days after birth, and no other abnormal phenotype was found during autopsy. The other 4 pups showed normal morphology at birth. The CT results showed normal positioning of the liver and gall bladder in all experimental dogs, including the original cell donor dog and recloned dogs. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of an ectopic liver and gall bladder present between rib and skin in both cloned and noncloned animals, and we consider that these abnormalities are not a due to genetic cause. Further studies regarding aberrant epigenetic reprogramming in the abnormal liver formation are needed.

36 EFFECT OF ACTIVATION METHODS ON DNA SYNTHESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF CANINE PARTHENOGENETIC EMBRYOS

Artificial activation is an important step for successful somatic cell nuclear transfer. In mammals, different methods of parthenogenesis have been studied to increase the developmental efficiency of cloned embryos. In an attempt to improve the techniques of nuclear transfer in canine species, this study investigated the timing of DNA synthesis and in vivo development of canine parthenotes produced by different activation treatments. For canine parthenotes, in vivo matured oocytes were obtained by flushing (~72 h after ovulation) the oviducts of mixed breed bitches. Denuded oocytes were cultured for 4 min in 10 μM calcium ionophore, and then they were divided into 2 groups: (1) 2DMAP group was cultured for 2 h in 6-DMAP; (2) 4DMAP group was cultured for 4 h in 6-DMAP. The first experiment determined DNA synthesis of parthenotes by 1 h treatment with incorporation and immunofluorescent detection of thymidine analogue 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine-5′-triphosphate (BrdU). The primary antibody was mouse anti-BrdU (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, USA), and the secondary antibody was fluorescein (FITC)-conjugated affinity purified goat anti-mouse IgG (Jackson). In order to examine the pronuclear formation and the onset of DNA synthesis in experimental groups, parthenotes derived from 2DMAP and 4DMAP groups were observed by BrdU incorporation at 2, 4, and 12 h post-activation (hpa). Data were analysed using Graph Prism software (GraphPad, San Diego, CA, USa). The next experiment observed in vivo development as follows: parthenotes were surgically transferred to synchronized recipient female dogs. The implantation rate of parthenogenetic fetuses was observed in uterus of recipients on Day 26 of pregnancy. All parthenotes of the 2DMAP group showed BrdU incorporation at 2 hpa, whereas 4DMAP parthenotes showed 96% BrdU incorporation at 2 hpa. Incorporation of BrdU was detected in all parthenotes of both experimental groups after 4 hpa. A total of 98 parthenotes were transferred to 9 surrogate mothers (53 parthenotes into 5 recipients in 2DMAP group and 45 parthenotes into 4 recipients in 4DMAP group). There was no significant difference in pregnancy rate between the 2 groups (2DMAP: 60% v. 4DMAP: 50%), whereas the implantation rates were significantly higher in 2DMAP (24.5%) compared with 4DMAP (4.4%; P < 0.001). The recovered parthenotes were able to develop to the stages of limb-bud formation, but few parthenotes showed the small and degenerating formation. Regardless of treatment group, the implantation site of the fetuses indicated either one side or both of the uterus. In conclusion, the present results demonstrated that the protocols using combined treatment with 10 μM of calcium ionophore (4 min) followed by a 2-h culture with 1.9 mM of DMAP resulted in completing pronuclear formation and enhancing fetal formation. This result could be useful method for improving canine cloned embryos production. This study was supported by IPET (#311062–04–2-SB010), RNL Bio (#550–20130013), RDA (PJ008975022013), and Research Institute for Veterinary Science and Natural Balance.

Species-specific challenges in dog cloning

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is now an established procedure used in cloning of several species. SCNT in dogs involves multiple steps including the removal of the nuclear material, injection of a donor cell, fusion, activation of the reconstructed oocytes and finally transfer to a synchronized female recipient. There are therefore many factors that contribute to cloning efficiency. By performing a retrospective analysis of 2005-2012 published papers regarding dog cloning, we define the optimum procedure and summarize the specific feature for dog cloning.

33 PROPAGATION OF ELITE LIFESAVER DOGS BY SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER

Canine somatic cell nuclear transfer (cSCNT) has been used as a useful tool for propagation of elite working dogs. In 2009, 7 cloned dogs were successfully produced using somatic cells derived from the excellent drug-sniffing dog of Korea Customs Service. All cloned dogs perfectly performed drug detection in Incheon International Airport. The objective of the present study was to compare the efficiency of the 2 activation culture media to clone the retired Baekdu, a veteran rescue dog that performed lifesaving activities worldwide for 6 years in Korea National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). Ear tissue was collected from a 10-year-old male German Shepherd and fibroblasts were cultured for cSCNT. The cells were injected into the perivitelline space of enucleated in vivo-matured dog oocytes, fused with electric stimulation using an electro cell fusion apparatus (Nepa Gene Co. Ltd.), and activated chemically. In the activation protocol, 2 different types of media were tested to investigate the effect of proteins with undefined functions. The first medium was a modified synthetic oviduct fluid (mSOF), which is a complex culture medium with BSA that includes undefined functions. The second medium was the porcine zygote medium (PZM-5), which is a chemically defined medium with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The fused couplets were activated by mSOF medium supplemented with 1.9 nM DMAP (SOF-DMAP), and PZM-5 supplemented with 1.9 nM DMAP (PZM-DMAP) for 4 h, followed by 4 min of calcium ionophore treatment. Then, reconstructed oocytes were transferred into the uterine tube of naturally estrus-synchronized surrogate dogs. In the PZM-DMAP group, a total of 56 activated cloned embryos were transferred into 3 female recipient dogs, and a total of 64 activated cloned embryos from the SOF-DMAP group were transferred into 4 female recipients. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed using a SONOACE 9900 (Medison, Seoul, Korea) ultrasound scanner with 7.0-MHz linear-array probe between 30 and 35 days after embryo transfer. As a result, pregnancy was detected in 1 out of 3 surrogate mothers that received cloned embryos from the PZM-DMAP group (33.3%), and 1 pregnancy (25%) was detected in 4 surrogate mothers receiving cloned embryos from the SOF-DMAP group. Two pregnant dogs each gave birth to 1 healthy cloned puppy by cesarean section. This study shows that existence of proteins with undefined functions in activation medium did not affect the dog cloning. In addition, the number of elite working dogs in diverse fields can be increased by the NT technique using donor cells derived from small tissue of elite working dogs. This study was supported by RDA (no. PJ0089752012), RNL Bio (no. 550-20120006), IPET (no. 311062-04-1-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, and TS Corporation.

143 EFFECTS OF BOAR SEMINAL PLASMA IN IN VITRO CULTURE OF PORCINE EMBRYOS

Seminal plasma consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids not only serves as a nutritive and protective medium for sperm cells but also play a pivotal role in inducing the tolerance to pre-existing immune cells as well as improving the intra-uterine conditions for implantation of fertilized embryos (Guerin et al. 2009 Hum. Reprod. Update 15, 517–535). However, the effects of seminal plasma in in vitro culture of fertilized embryos are unknown. In the present study, the seminal plasma was separated from the second fraction of a normal farm boar (n = 1) by centrifugation and filtered seminal plasma was stored at –30°C until use. In a preliminary experiment, the optimal activity of seminal plasma was evaluated by incubating the embryos for different time intervals. To investigate the developmental rates, electrically (EA) (triplicates, n = 490) or chemically (CA) (quintuplicates, n = 599) activated 2-day-old porcine embryos were incubated for 3 h in PZM-5 medium (Funakoshi Co., Tokyo, Japan, Catalog no. IFP0410P) containing 0% (EA: n = 122 and CA: n = 152), 0.1% (EA: n = 123 and CA: n = 148), 0.5% (EA: n = 122 and CA: n = 150), or 1% (EA: n = 123 and CA: n = 149) seminal plasma. Similarly, the developmental rate of chemically activated 2-day-old somatic cell nuclear transferred porcine embryos (quadruplicates, n = 239) was studied after incubation with 0% (n = 119) or 0.1% (n = 120) seminal plasma for 3 h. A significant difference was noticed only in the rate of blastocyst formation in the chemically activated embryos treated with 0.1% seminal plasma (31.7 v. 24.8% in the 0% group, ANOVA; P < 0.05; Prism5, GraphPad Software Inc., La Jolla, CA, USA). None of the treatments showed a significant effect on the cleavage rate and cell numbers of blastocysts. In conclusion, the seminal plasma did not show any harmful effect on early embryos development. Furthermore, the seminal plasma (0.1%) improved the rate of blastocyst formation among the chemically activated nuclear transferred embryos. The results of this preliminary study suggest that the addition of seminal plasma during embryo transfer could increase the rate of pregnancy in pig. This study was supported by MKE (#10033839-2012-21), IPET (#311011-05-1-SB010), the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, and TS Corporation.

293 EFFECT OF MEDIUM TYPE FOR CULTURE OF ADIPOSE-DERIVED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS ON PRE-IMPLANTATION DEVELOPMENT OF CLONED EMBRYOS

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been known as useful donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). It has been suggested that the culture condition of donor cells causes different results on preimplantation development of SCNT embryos. In this study, we investigated the patterns of gene expression of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ad-MSC) in different culture media (DMEM and RKME), and examined the effect of ad-MSC, with the gene expression changed, used as donor cells on the preimplantation development of cloned embryos. Canine ad-MSC were isolated from fat tissue of 3-year-old female beagle and were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (MSC-DMEM) and RKME (MSC-MSC) provided from RNL Bio Corp. (Seoul, Korea). Total RNA was extracted from ad-MSC cultured in each culture medium. After synthesising cDNA of each sample, quantitative RT-PCR was done according to the Takara Bio Inc. guidelines and using the 7300 Real Time PCR Cycler System (Applied Biosystems, Carlsbad, CA, USA). The level of all tested gene transcription was normalized to β-actin expression levels. The relative quantification of gene expression was analysed by the 2–ΔΔCt method. The data from all experiments were analysed by Student’s t-test using a statistical analysis GraphPad Prism 4.02 (GraphPad Software Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). Significance was determined at P < 0.05. The stemness, the reprogramming-related gene expression level of donor cells of MSC-DMEM and MSC-MSC were compared. In order to confirm the effect of MSC cultured in 2 different culture media on somatic cell nuclear transfer, we performed interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT). The enucleated bovine oocytes were injected, respectively, with donor cells of MSC-DMEM and MSC-MSC, and were fused by electrofusion. The iSCNT embryos were cultured in modified SOF at 38.5°C for 7 days in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 and 5% O2, and the developmental ability of iSCNT embryos was observed under the microscope. The MSC-MSC contained a significantly higher amount of Sox2, Nanog, Oct4, Stella, HDAC1, DNMT1, and MeCP2 than the MSC-DMEM, whereas the amount of Rex1 was not different in either MSC-MSC or MSC-DMEM. In the development ability of iSCNT embryos, MSC-DMEM embryos resulted in a 16-cell embryo formation rate that was higher than that of MSC-MSC embryos (9.09 and 5.30%, respectively; P < 0.05). However, the blastocyst formation rate was not different between MSC-DMEM embryos and MSC-MSC embryos (4.5 and 3.2%, respectively; P > 0.05). These results demonstrate that the gene expression of ad-MSC can be modified, by culture media, into a state where reprogramming is easily done. Even so, ad-MSC with gene expression changed by culture medium did not influence the developmental ability of blastocysts. In conclusion, the alteration of gene-related stemness and reprogramming in canine ad-MSC would not be able to effectively control reprogramming in SCNT. This study was supported by RDA (#PJ0089752012), RNL Bio (#550-20120006), IPET (#311062-04-1-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, and Nestlé Purina Korea.

32 CLONING OF ELITE QUARANTINE SNIFFING DOG BY SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) in assisted reproductive technologies has been considered for the conservation of valuable or endangered animals. Dogs that were originally bred for hunting, such as beagles, have an exceptional ability to detect a particular smell from many others. For that reason, the beagles have been used to detect quarantine risk items from a wide range of goods in assorted luggage without scaring or disrupting the passengers. Though very useful and highly in need, elite quarantine sniffing beagles with excellent abilities are rare; much time, effort, and money are required in producing them. Here, we have applied SCNT for propagation of elite quarantine sniffing dogs to save time and economic burden. Ear fibroblasts from a 10-year-old adult male elite quarantine sniffing beagle were isolated and cultured in vitro as donor cells. For SCNT, in vivo-matured oocytes, obtained by flushing the uterine tubes of oocyte donors (mixed breed), were used. The oocytes were enucleated, microinjected with donor cells, fused by electrical stimulation, and activated chemically. Reconstructed oocytes were surgically transferred into the uterine tube of naturally synchronous recipient females. A total of 212 activated cloned embryos were transferred into 12 female recipient dogs and 4 recipients became pregnant. The 4 pregnant recipients delivered 4 pups through caesarean section or natural delivery, but 1 died right after birth and did not show an abnormality. Other live puppies exhibited normal phenotypes; their appearance was similar to that of the donor dog. All cloned pups were genetically identical to the donor dog and their mitochondrial DNA was from their oocyte donor dogs. When the cloned pups were 16 weeks old, we conducted a Volhard test, which is commonly used to describe the following puppy aptitudes: social attraction, following, restraint, social dominance, elevation dominance, retrieving, touch sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and sight sensitivity. Dog behavior data on differences in transcript abundance were analyzed by a general linear mixed model. The 3 cloned pups showed similar behavioral tendencies. The present study demonstrates that NT technique using donor cell derived from 1 elite quarantine sniffing dog is useful to produce a large number of quarantine sniffing dogs. This study was supported by RDA (no. PJ0089752012), RNL Bio (no. 550-20120006), IPET (no. 311062-04-1-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Nestlé Purina Korea, and TS Corporation.

285 GENERATION OF CANINE INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS FROM CANINE FETAL FIBROBLAST AND ADULT FIBROBLAST OF CLONED DOG

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) derived from a patient’s fibroblasts have been used as fine resources for studying disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies. The dog is considered invaluable in human disease research because its genetic diseases are strikingly similar to those of human. Therefore, we generated cloned dogs and transgenic cloned dogs via somatic cell nuclear transfer. In this study, we tried to derive canine iPSCs from canine fibroblasts to establish a way to make iPSC from skin fibroblasts of transgenic cloned dogs. We isolated canine fetal fibroblast (FF) from normal beagles and adult skin fibroblast (ASF) from cloned beagles. Both ASF and FF were infected with all-in-one retroviral vector that delivers human reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, c-Myc). Ten to twenty-one days after infection, the colony-shaped structure was picked and plated on a mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) feeder layer, pretreated with mitomycin C. Then, all cells were cultured with DMEM/F12 supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum, 5 ng mL–1 basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), 5 ng mL–1 LIF, 0.1 mM β-mercaptoethanol, 1% NEAA, and 1% penicillin-streptomycin. Alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity and expression of Oct4, Sox2, SSEA1, and SSEA4, were observed in the cells to characterise the iPS cell colonies. In vitro differentiation of 10th-passage canine iPSC was performed through embryonic body formation. About 50 canine iPS-like colonies were formed on a 100-mm dish. As a result, the canine iPSC from FF (iPSC-FF) and canine iPSC from ASF (iPSC-ASF) showed typical colony morphology, and both stained positively for AP. The expression of pluripotency-associated transcription factors Oct4 and Sox2 was positively displayed in iPSC-FF colonies. The stem cell markers SSEA1 and SSEA4 were negative in canine iPSC-FF. The canine iPS-FF spontaneously differentiated into all 3 germ layers in vitro, showing positive expressions of βIII-tubulin (ectoderm), α-SMA (mesoderm), and GATA6 (endoderm). As for iPS-ASF, characterisation and in vitro differentiation experiment are in progress. These results show that canine iPS-FF are similar to embryonic stem cells in terms of morphology and the ability to differentiate into 3 germ layers. Although we did not demonstrate complete verification of canine iPS-ASF of the cloned dog, their morphology, AP expression, and iPS-FF generation should indicate the possibility of iPSC production in the cloned dog. In conclusion, retroviral transduction of 4 human reprogramming factors can reprogram canine fetal fibroblasts into canine iPSC. The technique of producing canine iPSC will stimulate the utilisation of transgenic cloned dogs and expand the range of human diseases or therapeutic application. This study was supported by RDA (#PJ0089752012), RNL Bio (#550-20120006), IPET (#311011-05-1-SB010), Research Institute for Veterinary Science, and Nestlé Purina Korea.

267 EFFECT OF FOLLICULAR FLUID CONCENTRATION ON IN VITRO DEVELOPMENT OF PORCINE OOCYTES AND THE EXPRESSION OF GENES RELATED TO CUMULUS EXPANSION AND EMBRYO QUALITY

It is well known that the presence of porcine follicular fluid (PFF) in in vitro maturation media enhances the developmental competence of porcine oocytes. However, it is also suggested that the action of PFF can be modulated positively or negatively by its components. In this study, we investigated the effects of PFF concentration (10 v. 1%) and protein-free media (PFF 0%) on the maturation of porcine oocytes in vitro, and analysed the difference in gene expression in the resulting cumulus cells and blastocysts after parthenogenetic activation. Three groups were tested: 1) 10% PFF: TCM-199 + 10% PFF (n = 638); 2) 1% PFF: TCM-199 + 3.05 mM d-glucose + 1% PFF (n = 418); and 3) 0.1% polyvinyl alcohol: TCM-199 + 3.05 mM d-glucose + 0.1% polyvinyl alcohol (n = 693). Cumulus–oocyte complexes were cultured for 20 to 22 h in the respective media that contained gonadotrophin (1 µg mL–1), epidermal growth factor (10 ng mL–1), cysteine (0.57 mM), sodium pyruvate (0.91 mM), insulin (5 µg mL–1), and 9-cis retinoic acid (5 nM). They were then cultured for an additional 20 to 22 h without hormonal supplements. Data was analysed by one-way ANOVA using the SAS program (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). No significant difference in oocyte maturation rate was observed. However, significantly higher (P < 0.05) proportions of embryos developed in the blastocyst stage when the oocytes were matured in 10% PFF group (45%) than in the 1% PFF group (31.1%). The total cell numbers were not significantly different among groups (52 ± 1.3 v. 54.6 ± 3.1 v. 54.4 ± 2.5, respectively). In addition, the expression of matrix molecule (HAS2, GREM1), steroidogenesis (HSD3B), epidermal growth factor signalling (AREG, BTC), and cell cycle regulator (CCND2) genes were upregulated in the cumulus that was obtained from oocytes that matured in 10% PFF. The expression of the anti-apoptotic gene (BclxL) was upregulated, and the expression of the pro-apoptotic gene (Bax) and metabolism-related genes (GLUT1, LDHA) were downregulated in blastocysts that developed from the 10% PFF group. Therefore, it can be concluded that supplementation of 10% PFF during in vitro maturation improves embryo development by increasing matrix molecules and maturation-enabling factors in the cumulus and by reducing apoptosis. This study was supported by IPET (No. 311011-05-1-SB010), MKE (No. 10033839-2012-21), the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, the BK21 Program, and the TS Corporation.

40 PIG CLONING AND GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS IN MINIPIG ADIPOSE TISSUE-DERIVED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

In several laboratory animals and humans, adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) are very interesting; they are easy to harvest and can expand to generate millions of cells from a small quantity of fat. The ASC are known as useful materials for clinical applications in human cell therapy and as a donor cell in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In this study, we investigated the expression patterns of several genes (Oct-4, Nanog, Sox2, Dnmt1, and Dnmt3b) in minipig ASC, and whether ASC can be a suitable donor cell type for producing cloned pigs. For the study, we respectively isolated ASC, adult skin fibroblast (ASF) and fetal fibroblast (FF) from a 6-year-old female minipig. The ASC were attached to a plastic dish with a fibroblast-like morphology, expressed cell-surface marker characteristics of stem cells, and underwent osteogenic, adipogenic, and neurogenic differentiation when exposed to specific differentiation-inducing conditions. To observe gene expression, total RNA was extracted from ASC, FF, and ASF, respectively, and was used for reverse transcription (RT). After RT, real-time PCR was performed to investigate the expression of Oct-4, Sox2, Nanog, Dnmt1, and Dnmt3b. The expression of β-actin was measured and used as an endogenous control. In the following experiment, we carried out SCNT using ASC, ASF, and FF. The ratio of blastocysts to 2-cell embryos and total cell number of blastocysts were monitored as experimental parameters. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA (GraphPad Prism version 5). As a result, the relative abundance of DNMT1 in ASC (1.9 ± 0.9) was significantly higher than that in FF and ASF (0.1 ± 0.2 and 1.0 ± 0.5, respectively; P < 0.05), but no significant difference in expression of the DNMT3b gene was observed. Interestingly, the quantity of Oct-4 was significantly higher in FF and ASC than in ASF (2.8 ± 0.4 and 2.9 ± 0.5 v. 1.0 ± 0.1, respectively; P < 0.05), and Sox2 showed significantly higher expression in ASC (3.7 ± 0.5) than in ASF and FF (1.0 ± 0.1 and 1.4 ± 0.6, respectively; P < 0.05). Nanog expression was similar in ASF, FF, and ASC. After SCNT, the developmental competence to blastocysts did not differ among the 3 groups (ASF: 7.0 ± 0.2%, FF: 16.15 ± 6.1%, and ASC: 11.1 ± 0.7%). However, total cell numbers of blastocysts derived from ASC and FF were significantly higher in ASF (89.0 ± 7.9 and 105.0 ± 5.5 v. 57.5 ± 5.2, respectively). In conclusion, the present study revealed that minipig ASC and minipig FF possess slightly different gene expression patterns and ASC have potential in terms of in vitro development and blastocyst formation ability similar to ASF and FF. This study was supported by IPET (no. 311011-05-1-SB010), RDA (no. PJ0089752012), RNL Bio (no. 550-20120006), Institute for Veterinary Science, and the BK21 program.

158 EFFECTS OF AMINO ACIDS IN EMBRYO TRANSPORT MEDIA ON PORCINE EMBRYOS

Due to the distance from the laboratory to the recipient farm, several laboratories, including ours, carry somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT)-derived porcine embryos to the farm using a portable incubator for a few hours. If the embryos are nourished well during the transport, viability of embryos might be increased and cloning efficiency can be improved. TALP, which is widely used as a porcine embryo transport medium, lacks amino acids (AA). Proper supply of AA in the uterus is important for the development of pre-implantation embryos because AA have functions as osmolytes, metabolic regulators, or substrates and buffers of intracellular pH. Thus, supplementation of AA could affect the embryonic viability during the transport of SCNT-derived porcine embryos. The aim of this study is to determine whether the transport medium containing AAs affects the in vitro development of parthenogenetic embryos compared to TALP. Porcine zygote medium-5 (PZM-5) was chosen as transport medium containing AA due to its similarity in constituents with TALP except for the AA. Because PZM-5 contains sodium bicarbonate as a buffer system which can not cover wide variation of pH, 10 mM HEPES was added into PZM-5 (PZM+H) as it was normally done with TALP. Porcine cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) were collected from ovaries of slaughtered pigs and cultured for 44 h using a two-step culture protocol. After denuded, matured oocytes were activated by thimerosal for 10 min followed by dithiothreitol for 30 min. The parthenogenetic embryos were cultured in PZM-5 for 2 days, monitored for cleavage, and loaded in a straw with TALP or PZM+H, respectively. Embryos were stored in a portable incubator (MTG, Bruckberg, Germany; no CO2) at 37°C for three hours and moved to PZM-5 drop for additional 5 days culture. The development was monitored on Day 7 after activation and blastocysts (BL) were collected for total cell number counts and RNA extraction. Ten BL from the TALP group and 11 BL from the PZM+H group were stained with 10 µg mL–1 bisbenzimide (Hoechst 33342) and were visualized for cell counting under fluorescence microscopy. Messenger RNA was extracted from 7 BL of the TALP and PZM+H groups and cDNA were synthesized. Quantitative real-time PCR were done to detect expression levels of apoptosis-related genes using the cDNA. The Bax/Bcl2 ratio was investigated as expression level of apoptosis-related genes and GAPDH was used as control. Each experiment was repeated at least 3 times. Data were analyzed by paired Student’s t-test using Graphpad Prism (version 5, Graphpad Software Inc., La Jolla, CA, USA). No difference was observed between the TALP and PZM+H groups with respect to blastocyst formation rate (22.46 ± 1.47% and 23.17 ± 2.13%, respectively) and total cell number (32.9 ± 2.22 and 37.09 ± 2.18, respectively). There was no significant difference between groups in the Bax/Bcl2 ratio. The use of PZM-5 media, which contains AA, did not affect the development and apoptosis of parthenogenetic embryos. This study was supported by MKE (#10033839-2012-21), IPET (#311011-05-1-SB010), the Research Institute for Veterinary Science, and TS Corporation.

Upregulation of stromal cell-derived factor by IL-17 and IL-18 via a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent pathway

Th17 cells that produce interleukin (IL)-17 play a key role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune inflammation. Among the various cytokines that are involved in the IL-17 pathway, members of the IL-1β family, including IL-18, have recently gained attention. In this study, we stimulated synovial fibroblasts with a combination of IL-17 and IL-18 and quantified their stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and their transcript levels by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Both IL-17 and IL-18 significantly increased the level of SDF-1, not only individually but also synergistically (P< 0.05). The synergism was effectively suppressed by anti-IL-17 and -IL-18 antibodies, and a PI3K inhibitor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of PI3K-dependent synergism between IL-18 and IL-17, and this work adds a novel perspective of the role of IL-18 in immune regulation. The individual effects of these two cytokines, and their interactions, suggest an interrelationship between the IL-1 family and IL-17.

Comparison of cell proliferation and epigenetic modification of gene expression patterns in canine foetal fibroblasts and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells

OBJECTIVES

This study compared rate of cell proliferation, viability, cell size, expression patterns of genes related to pluripotency and epigenetic modification between canine foetal fibroblasts (cFF) and canine adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (cAd-MSC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Proliferation pattern, cell viability as well as cell size at each passage of cFF and cAd-MSC were measured when cultures reached confluence. In addition, real-time PCR was performed to investigate expression of Dnmt1, HDAC1, OCT4, SOX2, BAX, BCL2 genes with reference to β-actin gene expression as an endogenous control in both cell lines.

RESULTS

cFF and cAd-MSC differed in number of generations, but not in doubling times, at all passages. Mean cell size of cAd-MSC was significantly smaller than that of cFF. Cell viability was significantly lower in cFFs and apoptotic level was significantly lower in cAd-MSC compared to passage-matched cFF. In the expression of genes related to pluripotency and epigenetic modification, level of HDAC1 in cAd-MSC was significantly higher than in cFF, but expression of Dnmt1 did not differ between the two groups. OCT4 and SOX2 were significantly more highly expressed in cAd-MSC compared to cFF.

CONCLUSIONS

cAd-MSC have higher stem-cell potential than cFF in terms of proliferation patterns, epigenetic modification and pluripotency, thus cAd-MSC could be more appropriate than cFF as donors of nuclei in somatic cell nuclear transfer for transgenesis.